Last kick in teeth for greatest All Black who never was
Now that former Blues player Isa Nacewa has finished his illustrious playing career, he must have been more shocked than anyone to hear that World Rugby has granted Chiefs wing Toni Pulu dispensation to play for the Wallabies.
Nacewa can claim to be the greatest All Black of the modern era who never was: the man denied the chance to represent the country of his birth due to a combination of bad advice, bad intentions and a bullish governing body that was determined to not make him a precedent case for others to cite. World Rugby has shown the flexibility and compassion to Pulu that was never afforded to Nacewa. The timing of which– coming just two months after Nacewa retired– must feel like the final kick in the teeth for a player who is admired and respected around the world.
The respective eligibility outcomes for Nacewa and Pulu make for a fascinating contrast.
The 29-year-old Pulu, who spent three seasons with the Chiefs, was born in the US, has an Australian passport and is also eligible for New Zealand on the grounds of residency.
But, despite having a pathway to represent those three nations, his eligibility was actually captured by Niue, for whom he played sevens when he was younger. World Rugby, however, has agreed to wipe from history his time with Niue and say that Pulu is now free to play for the Wallabies if selected. To Nacewa, this decision must rankle as one of the more glaring examples of double standards for he was not allowed to wipe from history the two minutes of test football he played for Fiji in 2003. The same governing body denied him a similar dispensation back in 2005. World Rugby, in fact, steadfastly refused to even hear Nacewa’s case – which was based on strong legal grounds that he was unduly and wrongly influenced to play for Fiji without having been given advice on the consequences of that decision.